Two arrested in drug lab bust in Hardin County

Hardin County Sheriff Ed Cain announced Feb. 8 that his office charged two people with intent to manufacture a controlled substance after executing a search warrant at 6650 Orchid, in Lumberton on Jan. 28.

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) reported they received information that something strange was going on at the residence on Orchid earlier the same day. According to the press release, Tommy J. Cole visited the home to bring his 18-month-old daughter to visit her mother, Ami Dobbins, who was there with her boyfriend Arthur Ellis Halter III. Cole told authorities he knew something was wrong when he arrived, and after he observed what he believed to be illegal narcotic activity at the residence, he made a phone call to a friend. That friend was Director of Hardin County Crime Victims Valerie Stewart. Stewart had a friend too, HCSO Narcotics Sgt. Charles Daigle. Daigle immediately responded to the call and met with Cole to get the details. After talking with Cole, Daigle issued a narcotic search warrant for the residence, signed by Hardin County Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Butch Cummings. Sgt. Daigle contacted his partner, Narcotics Sgt. Mark Vincent and Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullins, who offered assistance.

The team arrived at the home to execute the search warrant at approximately 1:30 p.m. and found Halter at the residence. Dobbins arrived with police a short time later.

Upon search of the premises, officers found the remnants of what they referred to as the “One Pot Method” used to “cook” methamphetamine. According to the report, other evidence located in the house gave officers at the scene cause to arrest both Dobbins and Halter. Both were booked into Hardin County Jail and charged with Possession of or Transport of Certain Chemicals with Intent to Manufacture Controlled Substance and Abandoning or Endangering a Child (Criminal Negligence). Hardin County Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace T.J. Hall set Dobbins’ bond at $25,000 for the Possession of Chemicals Charged and $5,000 for Child Endangerment, a state jail felony. Halter’s bond was set at $25,000 for the Possession of Chemicals and $5,000 for Child Endangerment, a felony two offense. Both are currently out on bonds posted by Ace Bail Bonds.

According to the press release, “Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullins and Sheriff Ed Cain wish to thank the concerned parents and citizens of Lumberton and Hardin County for taking a valued interest in the safety of our children and the citizens of our communities and our county. The sheriff also stands by his "Zero Tolerance Policy" on all illegal drugs in the county.

While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us “that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas,” we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We’re of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.